Weighing scale beam



Sept. 10, 1935. BQUSHELD 2,014,273

WEIGHING SCALE BEAM I Filed March 19, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR IALPreg BousfieLcL ATTORNEY- Sept. 10, 1935. A, BOUSFlELD 2 014 273WEIGHING SCALE BEAM Filed March 19, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ALPFBousl ield/ ATTORNEY Sept. 10, 1935. BOUSFIELD I 2,014,273

WEIGHING SCALE BEAM I Filed March 19, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 10 g nnnnn ZO 108 3310 10a 5 f Z y 103 107 I 97 I & 37

is 1 103 98 80 76a 81 3311 105 80 J INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 10,1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WEIGHING SCALE BEAM Application March19, 1931, Serial No. 523,804

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in weighing scale beams and moreparticularly to the type of beams used on plate-fulcrum track scales, asshown in Patent No. 1,968,988, Platefulcrum railroad track scales,Alfred Bousfield,

August '7, 1934.

In weigh beams used on scales adapted to weigh heavy loads, such asrailroad track scales, on account of the relatively heavy parts employedin the construction of the beam and in its co-operative mechanism, it isimportant and desirable that the beam be provided with a sensitivemounting which renders the beam quickly and accurately responsive to themovement imparted to the'soale mechanism by the load, as well aseffective means to aid in operating the beam and to increase thecapacity of the beam.

The beam disclosed in the present invention is well designed to fulfillthe aforementioned requirements and to perform the functions desired.

Therefore, one of the objects of the invention is to provide the beamwith an improved auxiliary balance indicator so arranged and mounted onsensitive bearings and having sensitive connection with the beam that itwill respond quickly to the movement of the beam, and accuratelyindicate the overweight or underweight of the load.

An important object is to provide resilient means for supporting thebeam at its fulcrum point by mounting the beam on a plate-fulcrum.

A further important object is to provide the beam with a plate-fulcrumin the butt end, to which depending spaced beam rods are attached.

In order that the nature of my invention may be fully understood, I haveillustrated certain embodiments of the invention in the accompanyingdrawings, in which,-

Figure 1 is a longitudinal, front elevation of a weighing scale beam,embodying a preferred form of my invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view; of the tip end of the beam pa y in t nshow n the beam locking and control mechanism, together with theauxiliary counterbalancing weight operating mechanism and the balanceindicator.

Figure 3 is a vertical end elevation of the parts shown in Figure 2,partly in section,

50 Figure 4 is a longitudinal elevation of the balance indicator mountinpartly in section, on the line 44 of Figure 2, showing the shaftjournaled in ball bearings.

Figure 5 is a cross-section on the line 5-5 of 55 Figure 2 showing therod mounting disposed with its shaft seated in ball bearings in thebutt, forked end of the balance indicator.

Figure 6 is a view of the steadying bracket for the beam rods.

In the drawings I designates the weigh beam 5 of a railroad track scale,which is mounted by a plate-fulcrum 2 on the beam support 3, secured tothe shelf 4 of the beam stand 5, which is supported by the pillars 6.Depending from a transversely disposed cross-bar I pivotally mounted by10 a plate-fulcrum in the butt end 8 of the beam I are spaced beam rods9, which are connected to the lever system of the scale. The usualbalance ball I9 is provided at the butt end 8 of the beam I, while atthe free end II of the beam I are dis- 15 posed spaced beam stops I2mounted between upright posts I3 and faced with buffer leathers I4,between which the free end II of the beam I is adapted to move when inoperation, the whole structure being adjustably mounted on the spaced 0stop posts I5, the stops I2 limiting the movement of the beam I.

Fastened to the lower edge 16 of the beam I is a plunger rod I'Iextending downwardly into a dash pot I8 containing suitable liquid i9,in which 25 a disk 28 attached to its lower end is adapted to move,whereby any vibratory movement of the beam is damped or retarded.

A type registering poise 2i is slidably mounted on the beam I, whichcarries a tare beam oper- 30 ated by the knob 2Ia while the beam I isprovided on its upper edge 22 with a toothed rack 23 engaging catchmeans carried by the poise 2 I and operated by the handle 24. The loweredge It of the beam is provided with a type bar 25, regis- 35 teringwith the graduations 25a, on the scale plate 26 and co-operating withprinting mechanism carried by the poise 2i and operated by the handle21.

Located'in the shelf 4 adjacent to the stop 40 posts i5 is a beam lock28, as covered in my divisional application Ser. No. 741,431, Beamlocking mechanism for track scales, filed Aug. 25, 1931. The beam lockcomprises a movable beam locking rod 29, which is mounted in a tubularstandard 38 having a bushing 3i and having adjustably mounted on itsupper threaded end a head portion 32. Within the head portion 32' isformed a central frusto-conical opening, in which is inserted afrusto-conical shaped leather bufier 33, held in position by an annularplate 33a fastened by screws to the head P rtion 32', and adapted toengage the lower edge I6 of the beam. Below the head portion 32 islocated a checl; or look nut 34 for locking the head portion 32 inposition. Thus the position of the head portion 32 and the buffer 33 maybe readily adjusted so that the beam end II may be securely held betweenthe buffer 33 and the upper beam stop buffer I4, when the beam lockingrod 29 is raised to its operative position. The lower end. of the rod 29is provided with a channeled portion 35, on which is pivotally mountedthe upper arm 36 of a toggle joint 31, its lower arm 38 being pivoted inthe bracket 39. At the jointure of the arms 35 and 38 of the togglejoint 31 a connecting arm 40 is pivotally connected, having one end of aconnecting rod 4I secured therein, while the other end is fastened in anarm 42 pivotally mounted on an arm 43 fixedly attached to a shaft 44,mounted in the boss 45 on the front plate 46 of the shelf 4. Attached tothe shaft 44 is a handle 41, extending outside the shelf 4, by turningwhich movement is imparted by the connecting rod 4| and interveningparts 48 and 42 to the arms 35 and 38 of the toggle joint 31 andconsequently to the movable beam locking rod 29, in order to raise therod 29 when it is desired to lock the beam and to lower the rod 29during a weighing operation. A set screw 48, adjustably mounted in a lug49 extending laterally from the bracket 39, is adapted to be adjusted sothat its threaded end 58 will engage the upper toggle joint arm 36 andthereby control and limit the upward movement of the beam locking rod29, as well as to prevent the toggle arms 38 and 38 from moving inwardlyto a point where they would be rendered inoperative.

In order to provide readily adjustment means for increasing to highcapacity the weighing range of the beam there located at the end 5! ofthe shelf 2 a counterpoise mechanism, which is covered in my divisionalapplication Ser. No. 741,430, Counterpoise mechanism for track scalebeams, filed Aug. 25, 1931. The counterpoise mechanism comprises alifting rod 52, slidably mounted in a boss 53 in the upper plate of theshelf 4 and a bearing block 54 provided with a bushing 55 and carried byopposed, downwardly inclined arms 56 bolted to the opposed, horizontalarms 51 of a bracket 58, which is secured by bolts to bosses 59 on theside plates of the shelf 4. A portion of the lifting rod 52 is providedwith a toothed rack 68, which meshes with a gear 5i secured to a shaft62, which is trunnioned in spaced bosses 63 on the bracket 58. The shaft62 extends outside the shelf 4 and has a handle 64 fastened to its outerend. The upper end of the lifting rod 52 is provided with an enlargedend portion 65, the lower face of which rests on the upper side 66 ofthe bracket 58, in its inoperative position. Mounted above the bosses B3on the bracket 58 is a transverse guide plate 61 adapted to co-operatewith the upper portion 86 of the bracket 68 in holding and guiding thelifting rod 52.

Extending upwardly from the end portion 85 of the lifting rod 52 is afrusto-conical extension or cap 68, upon which rests a relatively heavycounterbalancing weight or counterpoise 69 having in its base afrusto-conical opening 18, into which the frusto-conical cap 68 extendsand fits, by which arrangement the auxiliary weight 69 is held securelyin a vertical position as it is raised to its operative position.Mounted on the top of the auxiliary weight 69 are two spaced, uprightarms II provided with a thumb-screw I2 adapted, when the auxiliaryweight 69 is raised to its operative position, to be inserted in a loopI3 pivotally mounted in the bifurcated end 14 of the beam I, therebyattaching the auxiliary weight to the beam. In operation by simplyturning the handle 64 the revolving gear GI engaging the toothed rack 58causes the lifting rod 52 and hence the auxiliary weight 69 to be easilyraised or lowered as desired. This is a desirable and importantadvantage to enable the operator to quickly increase the capacity of thebeam and to mechanically raise and lower a' relatively heavy auxiliaryweight when desired. The position on the front of the shelf 4 of thehandle 41 for controlling the beam lock 28 and the handle 54 forcontrolling the auxiliary weight :38 operating mechanism renders bothcontrols readily accessible to the operator.

Located back of the beam I on a standard I5 attached to the shelf 4 isan auxiliary balance indicator or pointer 18, fixedly mounted on abearing block 11 secured to a shaft i8, which is journaled in ballbearing units "I9 carried by spaced bosses 88 on a standard 8| fastenedto an arm 82 extending laterally from the upper end of the standard 15.The butt end a. of the balance indicator i8 is provided with a forkedmember 83, in the arms 84 of which are mounted ball bear ing units 85having a shaft 85 journaled therein. Secured to the shaft 85 is 21depending rod 81 having its lower end attached to a shaft 88 mounted inspaced ball bearing units 89, carried by the spaced arms of a bracket 89attached to the inner end of a recess 9| at the free end I I of thebeam. Each shaft 78, 85 and 88 is provided at substantially the centerthereof with an annular boss 92 integral therewith, while adjacentthereto is an enlarged, centrally disposed annular bearing portion 93,which has extending therefrom a threaded portion 94. On the bearingportion 93 of each respective shaft 18, 36 and 88 is mountedrespectively the bearing block 'I'! and the upper and lower ends of thedepending rod 81. On each threaded portion 94 is mounted a castelatedlock nut 95 held in position by a cotter pin 98, for fixedly securingthe bearing block T! and the depending rod 81 to the respective shafts.

It will be noted that, in order to hold the pointer I6 and its bearingblock T! as well as the depending rod 81 in an absolutely fixed positionon their respective shafts, the bearing portion 53 is made slightly lessin width than the bearing block I1 and depending rod 8'1, so that aslight space 93a is left intervening between the end of the bearingportion 93 and the lock nut 95. By this arrangement the lock nut 95 maybe fastened securely against the bearing block 11 and the depending rod8'! without binding on the adjacent end of the bearing portion 93 andthereby lessening the gripping effect of the lock nut 95 on the bearingportion 11 and the rod 81. The ball bearing units I9, 85 and 89 are eachprovided with a circular ball container 91 carrying therein ballbearings 98, in which are journaled the reduced ends 99 of therespective shafts I8, 86 and 88.

Outer and inner detachable plates I88 and IOI are secured by screws totheir respective units. The inner plate I8I has a central portion I82having a circular, center opening I02a, through which the shaft I8 or 86respectively extends, and having its wall provided with an inwardlyextending annular portion I83 fitting in a circular opening I04 in theball bearing unit, the inner plate I02 having also an enlarged centeropening I 05 for clearance of the shaft, thereby reducing the frictionbetween the shaft and the plate I8! Within the ball containers 9! thereis a circular opening I88 larger in diameter than the reduced ends 99 ofthe shaft so that there will be .ample clearance for the ends and henceno friction at those points. Mounted in the outer plates we are setscrews Ill! bearing on the ball containers 9'! and adapted to properlyadjust the ball containers 9?, which are slidable in the circularopening we, so as to be located in their operative position on thereduced ends 59 of the shafts, when the screws H)? are set by adjustingthe lock nuts Hi8. It is, therefore, evident that the connectionsbetween the beam 5 and the balance indicator it, operating in the ballbearing mountings and with friction therein reduced to a minimum by theparticular construction employed, provide readily sensitive andresponsive movement to the balance indicator 16 from the beam i as itmoves under the influence of the load. Spaced from the standard "i5 is astandard [E39 attached to the shelf 4 and provided at its upper end witha laterally extending arm Hi3 having at its fixed, inner end two spaced,adjustable stops HI, between which the balance indicator id is adaptedto move the stops being adapted to check the vibrations of the indicatorit under influence of the load when it reaches the weigh-bridge (notshown). On the outer end of the arm I m is located a vertical indicatorplate l 52 provided with graduations i with which the tip end i M of thebalance indicator l6 co-operates, to indicate whether the beam l isbalancing properly.

In order to provide means for varying the sensitiveness of the beam andcooperating parts, a cylindrical adjustable gravity weight or member H5is mounted on the auxiliary indicator is, on a threaded vertical rod 5iii fixedly secured to the indicator bearing block Ti and disposed aboveand in vertical alignment with the fulcrum point of the indicator,whereby the gravity ball H5 may be adjusted to properly regulate thesensitiveness of the beam. Therefore, by moving the gravity ballupwardly the sensitiveness of the indicator is increased and by movingit downwardly its sensitiveness is decreased and the balancing positionof the auxiliary indicator varied accordingly.

Below the lower edge i5 of the beam there is located on the support '55a laterally extending boss 1511, at the end of which is secured anoutwardly extending leaf spring 751), which is adapted to serve as aresilient stop for the poise 2i when it reaches the end of the graduatedscale plate 26.

For the purpose of steadying the beam rods 9 and relieving them fromvibration, when cars are passing over the Weighbridge of the scale andparticularly when the beam 5 is in operation, an X-shaped spacing andsteadying bracket ill is mounted on the beam rods 5, having its arms l!8 provided with opposed attaching members I W, which are secured byU-bolts Mil to the beam rods 9. By this arrangement the beam rods 8 aresteadied at four points and thereby the effect of vibrations on the beamrods 9 and beam i are substantially obviated and the emciency of thebeam maintained.

While it is evident that the particular embodiment of my invention asdisclosed is well designed to perform the functions defined herein, itis to be understood that the invention is not limited to the type ofscale shown, but it may be utilized in different types of scales andmodifications may be made that will come within the scope of theinvention.

I claim:

Weighing mechanism comprising a weighing beam, sensitive loadtransmitting means comprising an auxiliary balance indicator mounted onan indicator block carried by a transversely disposed indicator shaft,provided with a forked member at its butt end and fixedly mounted on anindicator shaft located between its tip and butt end, and disposed inspaced bearings, an upper shaft pivotally mounted in spaced bearings inthe arms of the said forked member, and a depending rod attached at itsupper end to the said upper shaft and at its lower end to a lower shaftpivotally mounted in spaced bearings in a bracket transversely disposedin the free end of the beam all the said bearings being adjustable withrelation to the ends of the said co-operating shafts, and each of thesaid shafts being provided with means for fixedly securing the indicatorand depending rod thereto, comprising a central enlarged bearing portionslightly less in width than the indicator block or depending rod, anintegral annular boss adjacent to one end of the central bearing portionand a threaded portion adjacent to the other end of the central bearingportion provided with a lock nut, and means for securing the lock nut tothe respective shaft.

ALFRED BOUSFIELD.

